Thursday Roundup: In pouring rain, Wellsville boys, Portville girls headline 4-team home-opening meet in Lion’s Den; Lady Lions roll past Hornell, B-R baseball walks-off to hand GV/Belfast 1st loss
Photo and stories by CHRIS BROOKS, managing editor, wellsvillesports.com
WELLSVILLE — The all-night rain recapitulated into Thursday afternoon, where it would continue to linger all throughout the day. Because of the consistent precipitation, it would force a freeze on much of the night’s action on the docket.
But in Wellsville, despite the less-than-ideal conditions that surrounded much of the area, the lights were on for the Lions to build off a strong season opener at Houghton University inside the Lion’s Den up against Bolivar-Richburg, Alfred-Almond and Portville.
When everything settled and some clarity on the track and from the field was garnered, the Wellsville boys and Portville girls squads were at the top of the mountain with three wins each to proclaim victory in the meet.
From the boys spectrum of the meet, the host Lions were able to take full advantage of the opportunity behind a complete sweep of their head-to-head matchups against Portville (99-37), Bolivar-Richburg (125-11) and Alfred-Almond (105-31) behind 12 first place finishes — a pair of individual wins each scavenged by Xavier Scott, Collin Perkins, JJ Howard and Jack Davis to go with two relay victories in the 400 and 3200 relays.
Scott and Perkins provided sublime performances from the track to help lead the way for Wellsville, with Scott speeding towards the finish line with his victories in the 100 dash and the 110 hurdles, while Perkins raced towards glory with wins in the 800 and 1600 runs.
In the field, Howard continued his rampant start to his first official season with two more wins in the high jump and the long jump, while Davis triumphed in each spectrum with a collection of wins in the 400 hurdles and pole vault.
As for the Lady Lions, they picked up two victories claiming the 115-24 win over Bolivar-Richburg to go with a 98-43 edge over Alfred-Almond, all energized with six total victories — five of them from the field, with Kaylee Oswald’s second straight sweep of both throwing events leading the charge, as she claimed both wins in the shot put and discus.
Adding more assistance along the way was Brooklyn Dahlgren (high jump), Kylie Phelps (long jump) and Jaden Dunbar (pole vault), as they each contributed a victory, while Kaylie Fuller had the team’s lone win on the track in the 3000 run.
Bolivar-Richburg garnered just one first place finish in their appearance in the Lion’s Den, as they witnessed Carmen Crowley take gold from the sand bunker by recording the winning distance in the triple jump.
The Alfred-Almond boys and girls squads placed third overall, with the boys being captained by Adam Ford and Matt Goho, as each competitor recorded a victory in the 3200 run and discus, respectively to aid a 94-30 win over Bolivar-Richburg in head-to-head battle, while the Lady Eagles collected an 88-39 win over the Lady Wolverines behind multiple secondary finishes.
Coming up on Tuesday, both Wellsville and Bolivar-Richburg will return to action over the road, with the Lions paying a 4:30 p.m. visit to Dansville, while the Wolverines hop on the bus and travel to Cuba-Rushford for a 5 p.m. commencement.
Boys Scores: Wellsville 99, Portville 37; Wellsville 125, Bolivar-Richburg 11; Wellsville 105, Alfred-Almond 31; Portville 108, Bolivar-Richburg 19; Portville 69, Alfred-Almond 61; Alfred-Almond 94, Bolivar-Richburg 30.
Results
100 – 1. Xavier Scott (WLSV) 12.0, 2. Parker Dornan (PORT), 3. Evan Billings (WLSV).
200 – 1. David Clark (WLSV) 26.2, 2. Evan Billings (WLSV), 3. Carter Newman (WLSV).
400 – 1. Simon Szymanski (PORT) 58.2, 2. Jackson Jusianiec (A-A), 3. David Clark (WLSV).
800 – 1. Collin Perkins (WLSV) 2:16.1, 2. Noah Joslyn (WLSV), 3. Brady German (PORT).
1600 – 1. Collin Perkins (WLSV) 5:16.8, 2. Noah Joslyn (WLSV), 3. Adam Ford (A-A).
3200 – 1. Adam Ford (A-A) 12:12.0, 2. Kamron Dodge (WLSV), 3. Sean Driscoll (WLSV).
110H – 1. Xavier Scott (WLSV) 16.1, 2. Ryan Loncher (PORT), 3. Darren Spring (PORT).
400H – 1. Jack Davis (WLSV) 1:03.8, 2. Ryan Loncher (PORT), 3. Gabe Fioretto (A-A).
400R – 1. Wellsville (Billings, Howard, Outman, Scott) 47.8, 2. Portville, 3. Alfred-Almond.
1600R – 1. Alfred-Almond (Jusianiec, Patel, Grigg, Yatani) 3:51.0, 2. Portville, 3. Wellsville.
3200R – 1. Wellsville (Joslyn, Dodge, Clark, Perkins) 9:16.4, 2. Alfred-Almond, 3. Portville.
Shot – 1. Xander Outman (WLSV) 31-9.25, 2. Gabe Black (WLSV), 3. Joshua Kriger (PORT).
Discus – 1. Matt Goho (A-A) 94-9, 2. Joshua Kriger (PORT), 3. Gabe Black (WLSV).
High Jump – 1. JJ Howard (WLSV) 5-9, 2. Ryan Loncher (PORT), 3. Jace Densmore (WLSV).
Long Jump – 1. JJ Howard (WLSV) 18-10.5, 2. Xavier Scott (WLSV), 3. Kouki Yatani (A-A).
Tri Jump – 1. Parker Dornan (PORT) 36-1.5, 2. JJ Howard (WLSV), 3. Simon Szymanski (PORT).
Pole – 1. Jack Davis (WLSV) 7-6.
Girls Scores: Portville 76, Wellsville 63; Wellsville 115, Bolivar-Richburg 24; Wellsville 98, Alfred-Almond 43; Portville 93, Bolivar-Richburg 27; Portville 98, Alfred-Almond 33; Alfred-Almond 88, Bolivar-Richburg 39.
Results
100 – 1. Jenna Wyant (PORT) 13.7, 2. Caelyn Stevens (WLSV), 3. Jessica Daley (PORT).
200 – 1. Julia Wyant (PORT) 24.4, 2. Jessica Daley (PORT), 3. Lydia McGraw (A-A).
400 – 1. Jenna Wyant (PORT) 1:08.0, 2. Natalyah Papworth (A-A), 3. Pala Alsworth (WLSV).
800 – 1. Ava Haynes (PORT) 2:47.2, 2. Raegan Giardini (B-R), 3. Morgan Mattison (WLSV).
1500 – 1. Samantha Bray (PORT) 6:05.0, 2. Raegan Giardini (B-R), 3. Teagan Diestler (A-A).
3000 – 1. Kaylie Fuller (WLSV) 15:14.1, 2. Anna Agnello (A-A), 3. Sam Bidzerkowny (WLSV).
100H – 1. Aryanna Hatch (PORT) 17.7, 2. Isabel Jusianiec (A-A), 3. Olivia Dean (PORT).
400H – 1. Aryanna Hatch (PORT) 1:14.1, 2. Gracelyn Howe (WLSV), 3. Lilli Geiger (A-A).
400R – 1. Portville (Daley, Whittaker, Ju. Wyant, Je. Wyant) 58.6, 2. Wellsville, 3. Alfred-Almond.
1600R – 1. Portville (Daley, Hatch, Je. Wyant, Ju. Wyant) 4:32.1, 2. Wellsville, 3. Alfred-Almond.
3200R – 1. Portville (Av. Haynes, Bray, Isaman, An. Haynes) 11:46.2, 2. Wellsville, 3. Alfred-Almond.
Shot – 1. Kaylee Oswald (WLSV) 39-1, 2. Joscelyn Howard (WLSV), 3. Grace Kinnicutt (WLSV).
Discus – 1. Kaylee Oswald (WLSV) 109-7, 2. Makenna Cooke (WLSV), 3. Sarah Mattison (WLSV).
High Jump – 1. Brooklyn Dahlgren (WLSV) 4-10, 2. Ava Haynes (PORT), 3. Hali Brundage (PORT).
Long Jump – 1. Kylie Phelps (WLSV) 14-5, 2. Airiana Whittaker (PORT), 3. Carmen Crowley (B-R).
Tri Jump – 1. Carmen Crowley (B-R) 30-4.5, 2. Isabel Jusianiec (A-A), 3. Ava Haynes (PORT).
Pole – 1. Jaden Dunbar (WLSV) 7-0, 2. Addy Clark (WLSV), 3. Selah Ader (WLSV).
BASEBALL
Bolivar-Richburg 8, Genesee Valley/Belfast 7
BOLIVAR — Through the downpouring rain Thursday night, the spotlight shone bright in Bolivar for an early marquee matchup between Genesee Valley/Belfast and host Bolivar-Richburg in Allegany County play.
It was a battle that saw the visitors go straight to work with an advantage that eclipsed no higher than four runs.
With the momentum being held in their favor and the homestretch preparing to surpass the horizon, the Wolverines looked to put themselves into a position to deliver damage of their own. Led by some terrific pitching in relief by Trey Buchholz, the hosts in black and red went on to do just that, as they scored the game’s last five runs to springboard ahead of Genesee Valley/Belfast for their first and only lead of the game.
Of those five runs, two were scored in the bottom of the seventh to perform the walk-off comeback victory headed by big swings of the bat from Landon Barkley and Tavyn MacDonell, as Bolivar-Richburg dispatched Genesee Valley/Belfast their first loss of the season while remaining undefeated at 3-0 themselves in what was a thrilling 8-7 victory.
“Genesee Valley/Belfast is a very strong team, and they showed it tonight. Their pitchers threw strikes for the most part and our pitchers returned it back to them for the most part as well, despite the conditions we were given today,” said Wolverines coach Dustin Allen. “We got some key hits when we really needed them and we took advantage of some situations to come away with a feel-good victory.”
After the Wolverines (3-0) were able to cash in on an early start in the bottom of the first inning to claim the first lead, Genesee Valley/Belfast assembled a strong offensive sequence that would occupy the next three innings of play, scoring seven of the next eight runs — three of them stemming in a top of the third inning that granted them passage into the driver’s seat for the first time.
With the hosts making a change to Trey Buchholz on the mound in the fifth inning, the Wolverines were able to hold Genesee Valley/Belfast frozen at the plate, as the senior hurler punched out four batters and walked two across three outstanding innings of hitless relief to record the victory.
In turn, Bolivar-Richburg’s offense sprung to life by scoring the game’s last five runs, beginning in the bottom of the fifth with a three-run outing that witnessed them trim their deficit to just a single run.
When their final at-bats arrived in its entirety, the momentum they had built from their stout stands of defense, was put into maximum overdrive for a big finish behind a game-tying RBI single from Landon Barkley before Tavyn MacDonell ended the game an at-bat later, scoring Caden Allen to finish off the comeback victory.
The Wolverines totaled eight runs of eight hits, with Allen and Barkley each going 2-for-3, as Allen chipped in two RBI and scored two runs. Trey Buchholz chipped in with a massive triple, while Aydin Sisson drove in two runs.
For Genesee Valley/Belfast, Derek Calanni went into the third inning in his first start of the season on the rubber, fanning five Bolivar-Richburg batters and walking just two. As for the bats, Ian McKenzie led the way with a 2-for-4 outing consisting of two RBI. Matt Cater, Ryan Daciw, Owen Heaney and Trent Hutchison all recorded a hit each, with Cater scratching across two runs along the way.
Both teams mark their returns to the diamond Saturday afternoon, if weather permits, with Bolivar-Richburg paying an 11 a.m. visit to Cuba-Rushford, while Genesee Valley/Belfast looks to rebound back home in the Jungle in Belmont with a 3 p.m. visit from Fillmore forthcoming.
Genesee Valley/Belfast 023 200 0 – 7 6 2
Bolivar-Richburg 201 030 2 – 8 8 3
GVB – Derek Calanni (5K, 2BB), Matt Cater (LP, 3) (4K, 4BB) and Evan Turybury, Trent Hutchison.
B-R – Landon Barkley (3K, 3BB), Caden Allen (3) (K, 2BB), Trey Buchholz (WP, 5) (4K, 2BB) and Aydin Sisson.
SOFTBALL
Wellsville 18, Hornell 1 (F-5)
HORNELL — On the field for the first time in nearly a week, the Lady Lions of Wellsville picked up right where they left off on Thursday. In their first of two trips to the Maple City this season, the offense kicked the tires against the host Lady Red Raiders of Hornell almost immediately, scoring runs in each of the first four innings to set the tone in what was an 18-1 victory after five complete innings of play.
“We haven’t had many games under our belt so far, but it was great to get this game in,” said Lady Lions co-coach Shelley Chaffee. “We questioned it with the weather at first, but despite it, they’ve been working well with their hitting. We had a lot of singles and they were all hit hard to make them field it. It’s nice to see they had that in them, even after a couple of days away from the field. Makenzie (Cowburn) tossed a one-hitter and that definitely shows how well she can maintain her composure and accuracy in the middle of these conditions we experienced.”
After having broken the ice in their opening tenure at the plate, the Lady Lions (2-1) kept slugging away with an even deeper crack in the top of a second inning that saw four runs come across — two of them on a pulverized triple to right center field off the bat of Teegan Burke. With Hornell finding their way across the plate in return in the bottom half of the stanza, the visitors in orange continued to build on their lead with their largest stand of attack.
In the top of the third, Wellsville shattered the floodgates with an eight-run fission against the Lady Red Raiders, highlighted by a pair of three-run detonations delivered by Makenzie Cowburn and Marissa Ordway.
The two seniors combined to deliver five of the team’s 12 total hits at the plate, with Cowburn leading the bats behind a 3-for-4 outing, while Ordway went 2-for-2.
The Lady Lions put a bow on their victory with a five-run fourth inning to force the 15-run rule into effect.
To go with her three-hit evening at the dish, Cowburn was awarded the victory from within the circle behind 10 strikeouts and a walk whilst holding Hornell to just one hit.
Adding more help at the plate to propel the offense further for the Lady Lions was Makenna Dunbar, who went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI.
Hornell saw Raegan Evingham make the start on the mound, going the first two innings with a strikeout and five walks. On offense, Madyson Conner had the team’s lone hit.
If the weather permits, the Lady Lions will return to Tullar Field for a back-to-back set beginning tonight at 6:30 p.m. with a visit from the Oakfield-Alabama Lady Hornets.
Wellsville 148 50 – 18 12 0
Hornell 010 00 – 1 1 2
WLSV – Makenzie Cowburn (WP) (CG, 10K, BB) and Brazen Beckwith, Lindsay Stuck (4).
HHS – Raegan Evingham (LP) (K, 5BB), Alexis Smith (3) (K, 6BB) and Kaden McGregor.
